Despite pandemic, business owner pivots and opens new estate jewelry store on El Paseo

The pandemic has forced many business owners to pivot and try a new business model.

One new owner business on El Paseo shared his story of how he did just that and found the desert to be his new home.

“I started out with antiques and furniture and loved the way things were made and the quality and things that were put into things in the past that we don’t see so much today,” Todd Johnson, owner of Todd and Company told News Channel 3.

Johnson is an expert purveyor of vintage, estate, and prestigious jewelry.

For the past 30 years, his work took him to antique and jewelry shows all over the United States.

But when the pandemic broke out all of the antique and jewelry shows shut down or were canceled so his 'on-the-road business model had to quickly pivot.

“So I went to brick and mortar," he said.

Johnson, originally from San Diego, thought Palm Desert would the perfect place for his vintage pieces.

“There’s an appreciation for art and quality that you don’t find elsewhere," he said.

Johnson’s collection includes both modern pieces and unique one-of-a-kind jewelry from the past, like silver Tiffany and Company vases from the late 1800s.

“They won awards in the world fairs in the late 1800s and early 1900s," he said.

While many stores were closing because of pandemic shutdowns, Johnson used that time to score a prime location for his store right in The Gardens on El Paseo.

“I probably looked at 30 places to try to get a good spot and this was perfect," Johnson said.

Once he secured the store, he packed up and moved to the desert last year, opening Todd and Company in April and having his grand opening this weekend.

“We’re excited about things opening up," he shared. "People are coming out and visiting the desert again so yeah it’s exciting to look forward," he added.

To see how other local businesses are surviving in the pandemic check out CV local links here https://cvlocallinks.com/